Dead man proves tricky opponent in tight senate race

Debbie O'Connor, a former university secretary, is a lifelong Democrat with strong views on education and other issues. Her choice of Mel Carnahan for the Senate was not unusual in Missouri, where the former governor was popular. The election itself, however, was among the most unusual ever held.

Carnahan was killed in a plane crash three weeks ago. But his death came too late in the electoral process for the Democrats to put another candidate on the ballot papers. Carnahan's name remained and - in accordance with local electoral law -his widow was chosen to take the seat should he win it.

Opinion polls as the race entered its final phase suggested the Carnahans held a slim lead over the sitting Republican senator, John Ashcroft.

The contest raised questions about whether issues, personality or pity alone would dominate. Missouri was also important for the presidential race as a key swing state that had chosen the winner in every contest since 1960.

In the drizzle yesterday in St Louis, Ms O'Connor made it clear that she was voting for the causes espoused by the candidate. "I was really disappointed when he was killed," she said. "But now I can vote for everything he stood for." She described Jean Carnahan as a "great choice" to replace her husband. "I'm sure they shared the same values as husband and wife for 40-odd years."

Her views echoed the local Democrat campaign strategy, which urged electors to vote for the dead man's policies. At a rally in the state on Monday, Al Gore spoke of continuing Carnahan's work while wearing a black ribbon inscribed with "Keep the Fire Burning", a favourite Carnahan phrase.

For others in Missouri, the choice of a Democrat for the Senate was not simply a matter of party loyalty. Sharon Whalen, Ms O'Connor's sister, voted for the dead man and his widow in the Senate race while choosing George W Bush for president. "I liked Mel Carnahan," she said simply.

Local Republicans were not happy. Sheri Kelly, a spa owner, said: "It's unfair to the other guy. How can you fight against a dead person?"

There were whispers that the Republicans would use national election laws to invalidate a win for Mrs Carnahan. Local campaign officials, who had studiously avoided public criticism of the dead man's campaign team, denied this. Privately, they admitted that any attempt to benefit from a tragedy would not help their campaign efforts. Devoid of an opponent to abuse, the campaign focused on stressing the track record of their man.

Underlining the difficult nature of the election, Mrs Carnahan hardly campaigned, limiting her involvement to a television advertisement urging a "vote for Mel" and an interview on Sunday morning television.

The unusual nature of the campaign led to an unprecedented level of debate and predictions of an unusually high turnout. Rick Hardy, professor of political science at the University of Missouri at Columbia, said: "We have a dead person on the ballot. This has generated enormous support. It's made people who otherwise would not be paying attention talk about it."

About this article

Dead man proves tricky opponent in tight senate race

This article was published on
the Guardian website
at 18.22 EST on Wednesday 8 November 2000.
It was last modified at 09.47 EDT on Monday 6 October 2014.
It was first published at 18.22 EST on Tuesday 7 November 2000.